Slimming World Pancakes

Usually when it is a work day I will have over night oats or all bran for my breakfast.  Same old thing every day, as it is easy to take to work and eat it at my desk.  However as today is a-stay-at-home-and-be-lazy Saturday, I can spend as much time as I like making a yummy breakfast.  I opted for pancakes obviously. Yippee!

If you want to follow along and have these too then you will need...

35g of plain oats
1 TSP of vanilla extract
2 medium eggs
2 TBSP of muller light yogurt (I'm using vanilla with dark chocolate)
Stevia sachet or a TSP for sweetness

This easy recipe which literally takes no time at all to prep (and eat).  Here's what you do.

1// Weigh out your oats then add them in to your blender cup (I use the nutribullet) a long with two beaten eggs, vanilla extract, stevia and muller light - then blend it all up until smooth.  If you want to make it more textured, don't over blend.

2// Whilst your ingredients are whizzing up - spray Fry light in to a frying pan (you want the pan to be hot hot hot before adding mixture).

3// Pour in mixture.  You can either make lots if little bite sized pancakes or three medium (or one giant one).  Depends what takes your fancy.

4// You will be able to tell it's cooking when the texture of the pancake begins to solidify and small bubbles appear.  When this happens use a fish slice and flip it and cook for a further minute.

Helpful tip: when you go to make the next pancake spray the fry light again, as the pan would of dried out.  Don't want your pancake to stick do we?

Now you're done, eat them straight away with some fruit on top.  I added half a banana and some muller light. 

Enjoy.

Angela x

Healthy Bean Salad Recipe

Beans. 

Totally underrated I think. They are really good for us as they are full of nutrients and a great source of fibre - which is excellent for keeping our you know what in check *wink wink*. 

I usually associate beans with a morning fry up or a chilli con carne, however I was really keen to add them in to a salad. I was having a summer BBQ, so it was perfect timing to experiment.  It is really fast to make (under 10 minutes), plus you'll probably have most items at home in your cupboards already. 

To make this you're going to need... 

One can of beans (pinto, borlotti, mixed beans - not BAKED beans)
Canned corn - around three to four tablespoons

Onion (spring onions or red onions)

An apple (you could exchange the apple for celery if you want)

Fresh herbs (example mint, parsley, basil) 

Fresh lemon juice or a bottle lemon juice. 

Apple cider vinegar 

Olive oil (remember this has syns)

Salt and pepper

And here are the steps...

1// Rinse your beans and corn under running water in a sieve. You will not need to cook them. 

2// Whilst they drain, chop and dice half an apple and half an onion (or two large spring onions)

3// Add your beans and corn to the apple and onions then stir together. 

4// Season with salt and pepper. 

5// Add your chopped fresh herbs. 

6// Using a tablespoon measure add one of lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and olive oil.

Give it all a stir and taste it. Add any extra salt and pepper if you think it needs it.

This may not look like anything too fancy, but this is really quite refreshing to have with a fish dish or a summer BBQ.  It is also quite adaptable - you can use different beans, celery instead and apple, leave out the olive oil if you want to make it syn free.... it's really up to you.  This is perfect if you are also vegan/vegetarian. 

If you wish to, you can see a step by step video right HERE on my YouTube channel.

Enjoy.

Angela x

Grab A Sharpie

When you join Slimming World (or even Weight Watchers to a point) you will be introduced to the syn world. The treats, the naughty stuff, the not so naughty foods, but still contain a syn value.

Being clued up about what syns are in your cupboards is the key to success I think.  One tip you might like to use is the Sharpie trick. It probably helps to not buy the naughty stuff at all, but if you have children or a partner would isn't on Slimming World - then you will come into contact with these syns.  Plus having some goodies in your house is not necessarily a terrible thing.

The trick is when you first get home from the supermarket grab a marker pen / Sharpie and using the app or computer find out the syns for everything. No guessing let's be honest people. Write it on the packaging somewhere visible and when you feel like dipping in to those Oeros because you are caving the sweet stuff ... you'll instantly know the value of the item.  And it may even put you off eating it all together.

Hope this helps!

Enjoy.

Angela x

Pizza But Not As You Think

I looooove pizza.  The crunchy base, the cheese, the toppings... O-M-G!  However tradition pizzas can be be costly in the syns department, 16 to 20+ syns for an entire pizza.

Ouch.

I have been craving pizza like crazy lately and I really want to try a cauliflower base one, which can take time to make.  So one evening this week I decided to make a gammon pizza.  Different I know but all FREE!  Yay.

So get ready my fellow SW Member and let me amaze you with this quick easy meal.

What you'll need is:

Gammon Steak
Tomato Puree
Cheese (Leerdammer Light is two slices for your HEXA or 5 syns)
Then your choice of toppings.  I went for pineapple, jalapeños and fresh basil.
Plus you'll need dried herbs, salt and pepper to season.

It is really easy to make, firstly turn on your grill then...
1// Cut off your gammon fat then grill the meat until just cooked.  It will be cooked again after the toppings are added.
2// Prepare your toppings whist it is grilling.
3// Remove the meat from the grill (drain any fat in the tray)
4// On top of the gammon spread on tomato puree, add two slices of cheese, then add your toppings and seasonings (except the basil - it will burn otherwise).
5// Place back under the grill for a further minute or until the cheese has melted.
6// Pop on to a plate then add your fresh basil.

Job done!

This only takes 20 minutes maximum and is soooooo easy to do.  You can see a step by step video right HERE on my YouTube channel.

Enjoy.

Angela x

1, 2, 3, 4...

If you didn't know already I have been uploading my weekly weigh in results on to my YouTube channel.  I do it as a support thing (a) for myself and (b) for others.  Kind of like a virtual Slimming World Group meeting.

Now I'm an open book kind of girl and I will openly publish my weight figures on the internet, as they are just numbers at the end of the day.  When I went back to group in June I weighed in at 12st2.5lbs and I obviously was thrilled with that... NOT!  I'd crossed over to the next stone and I was angry with myself for letting it happen.

I just just come back from a weeks holiday in Cornwall where I ate everything 'Cornish' in sight from pasties, ice cream, cream teas and Ploughman's and cider at Rick Steins Cornish Arms Pub.  I don't regret any of it really, I had fun and enjoyed myself.  That's what holidays are meant to be - fun and carefree.

I knew I would go back to group the following Saturday to face the reality, however to be honest I had not attended group for about two weeks prior due to other issues like illness and being too scared to face the numbers.  So in all I missed about three weeks of weigh ins.  I am determined to be slimmer and healthier and I know deep down I will be much more happier with myself.  I had to go back, no question.

So here are my previous results; 

Week One - 25th June // 11st13.5lbs (total loss - 3 lbs)

Week Two - 2nd July // 11st11.5lbs (total loss - 2 lbs)
Week Three - 9th July // 11st11lbs (total loss - 0.5 lbs)
Week Four - 16th July // 11st10lbs (total loss - 1 lbs)

I do not know what week five holds in store for me and I admit I may have been a little naughty with a few sweet treats now and then.  However it has been the hottest week of the year so far, so to be fair a few ice creams were going to creep in.  But whatever the results I will take it on the chin and will get my arse in gear for the next week.

Wish me luck everyone and I wish you good luck at your weigh in this week.  Stay tuned for Sundays upload to Youtube.

Angela x

PS - pop on over to my YouTube and subscribe... it'll make my day!

Healthy Eton Mess

Ok everyone, hands up if you have a sweet tooth? No need to be shy now.

Raises hand. 

Well I admit it I certainly do and I don't know many people who do not have a sweet tooth when I come to think about it. 

Today's Slimming World friendly (SWF) recipe is the good old Eton Mess. I will be honest my version is not very restaurant worthy ... it's not going to get a gold star for looks.  However this was just for me, so looks didn't bother me - still tasted the same... so I didn't really care.

An Eton Mess is a super quick dessert / sweet treat to put together.  So if you're craving a quick fix of sugar which doesn't impact too hard on your daily syn allowance, then this recipe is your friend. 

What you'll need is only a handful of ingredient's;

Meringue nest or shells - I used two of these shells from Asda which worked out to 1 1/2 for two shells.

0% fat yogurt - Any favour of your choice.

Fresh fruits - I picked strawberries and blueberries, but you can use anything. Mango and passion fruit for a more tropical Eton perhaps?

Sweetener - this is optional but a bit of sweetener makes it even better (trust me!)

You can add a sprinkle of almond flakes for a crunch if you fancy, it but remember these have syns.

It's really easy to put together, just layers of yogurt with added sweetener, with added meringue crumbles and then fresh fruits.  Then another set of layers of yogurt, fruits and meringue.  In the photos I had added 10gram portion of flaked almonds for added crunch.

If you can stop yourself from eating it straight, this would be lovely chilled in the fridge.

Now if written instructions are not your thing, you can watch my YouTube video HERE if you want or click below and that will show you how to make it in under four minutes!

Enjoy!

Angela

Hello There

If you are reading this then welcome to my blog. The blog is almost complete but there are a few bits and bobs which are 'under construction'. We're still a work in progress.

Anyways, thank you for stopping by... join in the fun and as they say comment and subscribe to the madness.

On Chatting With Angela I will be covering the same topics as my YouTube channel which is mostly Slimming World related. There will be written recipes -some SW friendly and some which may not be lol! I will also have my progress and journey updates which fingers crossed will go up on the blog every weekend. For healthy extras I will also post some travel and life updates under Life section.  I like to throw a little randomness now and again.... keeps everybody guessing ;-)

You can follow me via YouTube and Bloglovin.  I also have twitter and Instagram and I'm working on a Facebook page.  All this techie nerdy stuff takes time to sort out. 

I will try my best to be as active as possible on social media, however with a 9-5 city job where they are a little anti personal mobile phone usage crazy it might a tad difficult. Ha. But here goes nothing. 

Hope you have a great day :-)

Angela